


Ghosts of You

by ByTheAngell (SomeLittleInfamy)



Series: Hunter's moon 500 Word Prompts [8]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Hopeful Ending, M/M, POV Raphael Santiago
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:48:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25593028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeLittleInfamy/pseuds/ByTheAngell
Summary: Ever since Ragnor’s passing, Raphael finds ghosts of him everywhere.
Relationships: Magnus Bane & Ragnor Fell, Magnus Bane & Raphael Santiago, Ragnor Fell/Raphael Santiago
Series: Hunter's moon 500 Word Prompts [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1776664
Comments: 12
Kudos: 30
Collections: Hunter's Moon 500 Prompts





	Ghosts of You

**Author's Note:**

> 500 word prompt: Ghost

Ever since Ragnor’s passing, Raphael finds ghosts of him everywhere.

He sees him in the paintings and relics that Ragnor ‘donated’, displayed proudly along the walls and curios of the Hotel Dumort, remembering how casually he insisted it was just a bit of minimizing and he’d simply throw them away if Raphael didn’t want them. Neither of them ever spoke of how they were all exactly Raphael’s taste, or how Ragnor would give him one a year at the end of every September but never exactly _on_ his birthday, for plausible deniability.

He hears Ragnor in moments of great doubt, the whispers of advice from years past echoing in his head as if they had the conversation that very day. There’s never any doubt in Ragnor’s tone that whatever problem Raphael currently faces is a matter of ‘when’ he’d overcome it, not ‘if’, the steady cadence of Ragnor’s words giving him reassurance and stability to pull himself through uncertainties he would’ve otherwise lost himself in.

He speaks to him, too, on occasion. Sometimes it’s in his dreams but other times it’s like they’re sitting across from one another over a chess board, the way they used to challenge each other while Raphael was growing up, pretending they only got along so well to annoy Magnus while knowing that neither would willingly give up the other’s company now that they had it.

“You weren’t supposed to leave me,” Raphael says. “Not yet.”

They never put a label on what they had. There was simply an understanding. An acceptance.

A place Raphael never doubted he was loved.

Ragnor died in early September, and as the end of the month draws near Raphael feels the loss even heavier than before. He’s almost thankful for the constant activity in the Shadow World to distract him from it until the day he comes back to the Dumort to find a new painting in his room. The depiction of a sunset is immediately familiar to him - it’s the painting Ragnor had above his fireplace.

Raphael knows who has possession of the estate so there’s no doubt where the painting came from. He can’t take this from Magnus, it doesn’t feel right.

“Happy birthday,” Magnus says when he answers the phone.

“It isn’t my birthday yet,” Raphael points out.

“I know. He was very insistent on that,” Magnus says, a hint of amusement in his voice. There’s no question of who the ‘he’ Magnus references is.

It isn’t from Magnus. Ragnor arranged this before he died, just in case...

“That secret softie…” Raphael mutters, shaking his head.

At first Raphael wasn’t sure he wanted the constant reminders. Now he isn’t sure he’ll know what to do if he stops seeing and hearing and feeling them.

It may be his imagination, but he swears he feels the weight of arms around his shoulders as he stands back to admire the painting now hanging over his own fireplace.

“Thank you, my friend.”

Perhaps he’ll never have to find out.

**Author's Note:**

> (Find me on [Tumblr](http://bytheangell.tumblr.com) and also on [Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/By_The_Angell)! <3 )


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